As many of us have been reminded far too many times, it is never easy to say good-bye to loved ones. My family was painfully reminded again of just how difficult that is as we said good-bye to my Uncle Vince last month. When you come from a family as large as mine with 8 or 10 uncles & aunts on
each side of the family your youth is rich with happy times; but it also means that as the years pass there will be far too many good-byes to come. I wanted to tell you a little about my Uncle Vince because for me growing up with a
"famous" uncle was quite special and as an adult never lost its luster for me. Vince O'Brien lived a full life. He died at the age of 91, on June 19, peacefully at home with his wife, my Aunt Kate, by his side. But this blog is about his life. A life that as I mentioned was a full one.
Vince O'Brien may not be a name that you recognize but my bet is that at least some of you have seen his face more than once in your life. He was my mother’s brother and a professional actor. His career spanned 60 years of stage, screen and television. He studied drama and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1949. He performed his first professional stage roles at the Canton Show Shop in Canton, CT during the late 1940's. He was on Broadway in hits such as the original Promises, Promises, Leave it to Jane, Advise & Consent, and Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? My uncle worked in summer stock and in regional theatre too, including the Playhouse on the Mall in Paramus NJ where he worked with Robert Ludlum. He was also noted for his one man show "Clarence Darrow". His television career began right around the time that I was born in the early 1950's as part of the cast of a very popular show at the time called
Studio One and received equal billing with Walter Matthau on one show. He played more than 300 roles on television over the next 50 years. He was the original
Shell Answer Man when those commercials first hit television. A job that he said was like hitting the lottery. I remember him doing a TV commercial for Life Savers too, where he played a candy store owner telling a little boy “that’s my favorite!” when the little guy finally picks out a certain flavor. We used to joke with him about an Elmer’s Glue commercial that he once did where he builds a dog house for the family pet inside the house and then finds that it’s too big to get outside & can’t pull it apart because the glue is too strong! As kids we always thought that was pretty funny. He acted in Soap Operas for many years too playing roles in Ryan's Hope, The Edge of Night, Guiding Light and in the 60s he was a sheriff in the cult soap opera Dark Shadows. His most recent television role was playing Judge Franks on Law & Order. I remember being surprised when he showed up in that role because I was watching that episode of the show not knowing that he had been cast as the judge. He did a few films too. The first one I ever saw him in was a movie called "The Hoodlum Priest" in the early 1960’s. More recently I’d bet a lot of you have seen him in the films "Annie Hall", “Six Degrees of Separation” and "Quiz Show". My uncle’s very last performance was at the Ivoryton Playhouse in CT, where he reprised the role of "the old actor" in his favorite musical "The Fantastic's", a show that was actually directed at Ivoryton by my sister Julia. Julie directing Uncle Vince….how about that! His final line from that magical performance provides a fitting epitaph to his long career….and a great life.... as he asks the audience, "Please, remember me in light."
That, I will always do…. & for me that light will always shine bright.
